Analytical Report on the Registration of Candidates

Observation is carried out by activists of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center “Viasna” in the framework of the campaign Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections

CONCLUSIONS

- the electoral phase of nomination and registration of candidates was not marked by any major differences from earlier parliamentary election campaigns;

- the collection of signatures was held in a calm atmosphere, with no significant obstacles to the candidates’ nomination groups;

- there were cases of abusing administrative resources in favor of pro-government candidates, as well as pressure on members of opposition candidates’ nomination groups;

- the observation covered 49 out of the total of 110 DECs; in a number of DECs (27%), verification of signatures submitted for the nomination of candidates was sufficiently transparent, the observers were able to monitor the process, including the procedure of selecting signatures for verification. The observers regard this as positive practice. A negative factor of this year’s elections is that in the majority of the DECs (73%), as before, the observer of the campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections were denied the right to observe the signature verification procedure;

- the elections are marked by greater number of nominations as compared to previous campaigns (365 in 2008, 464 in 2012, and 630 in 2016) and a lower amount of refusals to register candidates (23% in 2008, 24.7% in 2012, and 14.8% in 2016).